Fender well tire cover



1941. A. P. FERGUESON- 778 FENDER WELL TIRE COVER Filed Aug. 25, 19:58 2Sheets-Shet 1 Feb. 25, 1941.

A. P. FERGUESON FENDER WELL TIRE COVER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 25,1938 M U M E P R w m 4 Patented F eb. 25, 1941 2,232,778 FENDER WELLTIRE covEa' Arthur P. Fcrgueson, Detroit, Mich assignor toHoudaille-Hershey Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of MichiganApplication August 25,

2 Claims.

This invention relates to spare tire and Wheel covers and moreparticularly to a spare tire cover for application to a spare tire andwheel carried in a well in a fender of an automotive vehicle.

It is one of the objects of the invention to provide a tire cover ofthis character which can be readily removed as a unit and which is heldin place by a single fastening member.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a tire cover of thischaracter which fits over a tire placed in a well at the edge of thefender, the tire cover depending outside of the fender.

Another objectof this invention is to provide a tire cover of thischaracter which is adapted to fit over a tire which is disposed at asmall angle to the vertical, as may be necessary to avoid contactingthe, forward portion of the body of the vehicle, the tire cover itselfbeing vertical and concealing the angular position of the spare tire.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tire cover of thischaracter which can readily 25 be entirely removed so as to facilitatethe removal of the spare tire from a deep fender well and which, when inuse, is held against rattling at each point of contact with the fenderthrough the action of a single readily removable fastening element.

Further important objects and advantages of the invention will appear asthe description proceeds.

In accordance with the general features of the invention, there isprovided a sheet metal tire cover made, if desired, of a plurality ofpieces spot welded or otherwise secured together into a single rigidassembly which may have a ring portion adapted to cover the exposed partof the periphery of a tire carried in a fender well, an outer side plateportion adapted to cover the exposed part of the outer side of the tireand wheel and to depend outside of the fender, and an inner side portionadapted to cover that part of the inside of the tire which wouldotherwise be most visible to a person in front of the motor vehicle.Suitable means, such as hooks engaging the sides of the fender well, maybe provided adjacent the lower part of the tire covor to aid inpositioning it, and the dimensions and. proportions of the tire covermay be such as to allowsits upper portion to rest directly on the tireat one or more points. Simple means, such as a tie rod similar to aturnbuckle, may be provided to hold the tire cover down, this 1938,Serial No. 226,647

means, in connection with the other locating means, such as the hooksengaging the fender Well and the engagement of the tire cover with thetire itself, serving to completely locate and position the tire coverand prevent it from rattling.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparentfrom the disclosures in the specification and the accompanying drawmgs.

The invention (in a preferredform) is illus- 1 trated in the drawingsand hereinafter more ful- 1y described.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of one embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 11-11 of Figure 1,looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 31s a rear elevational view, on an enlarged scale, of the upperedge of the forward part of the fender well, looking forward from thecenter of the well;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the v line IV-IV of Figure1, looking in the direction 25 of the arrows;

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the center line ofthe tire cover and showing the top of the front of the well and thebottom of the front of the tire cover.

, The embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings comprises a tirecover H, l2, I3 used in combination with a fender I4, l5 and a fenderwell I6. The fender l4, l5 shown in the drawings is of the modern typehaving a high 35 crown l5 and a depending skirt l4. As this fender isused in an automobile having a comparatively wide body, it is necessary,in order to avoid interference with the body, to have the fender well [5placed well over towards the outer 40 side of the fender-l4, l5. Thus,the inner side wall ll of the well is in line with the highest part ofthe crown l5 of the fender while the outer side wall I 8 of the Well I6is practically in line with the side or skirt M of the fender. Becausethe fender tapers from front to rear,

being narrower at the rear than at the front, a

comparatively large portion of the outer side wall l8 projects above thefender skirt Id at the center and towards the back of the well, whileonly the upper edge IQ of the well projects up.

above the crown l5 of the fender near the front of the well. Around theouter side and the front and the rearof the fender well I 6, the fenderl4,

15 has its edge around the fender well aperture formed into an upwardlyextending flange 2I which is spot welded or otherwise secured to thefender well I6. Along the inner side of the fender well aperture in thefender I4, I5, the metal of the fender is formed into a depending flange22 which is spot welded or otherwise secured to the inner side wall I1of the fender well. The fender well I6 is thus securely fastened to thefender I4, I5.

The spare tire 23 which is carried in the fender well I6 and the wheelon which the tire 23 is mounted are carried by a bracket 24 whichextends through an aperture in the inner side wall I 1 of the fenderwell and which is secured to the frame of the automobile. As may be seenin Figure 2, the wheel and tire 23 are not carried in an exactlyvertical position but the top of the tire 23 is tipped out a little awayfrom the center of the car. The fender well I6 is placed at the sameangle to the vertical as the tire 23 in order to accommodate itproperly. The tire cover II, I2 and I3, on the other hand, is arrangedto lie vertically and to hide the fact that the tire 23 and well I6 arenot exactly vertical.

The tire cover II, I2 and I3 comprises three principal portions, a ringI2, an outer side plate II, and an inner side plate I3. The ring I2extends around that portion of the periphery of the tire 23 whichprojects above the fender and its front and rear ends 25 and 26 are outoff diagonally in order to conform to the outer surface of the fenderI4, I5. The two side plates II and I3 have flanged edges 21 and 28 whichfit against the inner surface of the ring l2 and are spot welded orotherwise secured thereto. Thus the tire cover II, I2 and I3 is formedinto a rigid assembly which is put on and removed in one piece.

The outer side plate I I of the tire cover covers the entire outside ofthe portion of the tire 23 which projects above the well I6 and itextends down outside of the well and covers all of the outer side wallI3 of the well which projects beyond the contour of the fender skirt I4and which would otherwise be visible. The loweredge of the outer sideplate II is provided with a welt 26 made of fabric and cord or othersuitable soft material, in order to prevent accidental scratching ormarring of the finish. of the fender I4, I5 or of the edge of the sideplate I I when the tire cover is being mounted in place.

The inner side plate I3 is comparatively small and lies alongside of theupper forward portion of the tire projecting above the fender well. Thefront end of the inner side plate I3, which is arcuate in shape,projects down a short distance inside of the well I6, as shown in Figure5. An edging 3I, made of fabric or other suitable soft material, issecured around the end of the side plate I3 in order topreventmetal-to-metal contact at this point and to eliminate the possibility ofsqueaking or rattling.

A hole, reinforced with a grommet 32, is provided in the inner sideplate I3 near its upper end. The hole and grommet 32 are adapted toreceive the hooked upper end of a back bar 33, 34 by means of which thetire cover II, I2 and I3 is held in place. The lower end of the back bar33, 34 is also formed into a hook which projects through a hole in thedownturned flange 22 which depends from the crown I5 of the fender andto which the inner or back wall I1 of the fender well is secured. Theback bar 33,

34 is formed of two separate pieces, 33 and. 34, which are joined-by aturnbucklev 35 inorder .the same time, it may be readily removed bythat, after the back bar is put into place, it may be tightened down soas to hold the tire cover II, I2 and I3 firmly against the tire 23.

In addition to being held down by the back bar or stay 33, 34, the tirecover II, I2, I3 is 5 positioned by means of a stake or hook 36 at thefront and two hooks 31 and 38 at the sides. The stake 36, as shown inFigure 5, is secured to the ring I2 of the tire cover by rivets or othersuitable means and is formed into a hook which fits over the upwardlyprojecting edge I9 of the fender well I6. As shown in Figure 3, theupstanding portion I9 of the fender well I6 is formed to provide a notchinto which the hook portion of the stake 36 may fit. This aids inproperly locating the tire cover when it is being placed in position.The book portion of the stake 36 is provided with a coating or coveringof rubber 39 in order to prevent squeaking or rattling.

The side hooks 31 and 38 are secured by spot welding or other suitablemeans to the inside of the outer or front side plate II and are placedso that they hook onto the upper edge of the upstanding outer side wallI8 of the fender well I6. At the point where the hooks 31 and 38 engagethe edge of the wall I8 an edging H of fabric or other suitable softmaterial is provided in order to prevent squeaking or rattling at thesepoints. As will be noted from Figure 4, the books 30 31 and 38 areplaced so that they come into contact with the edging 4I only on theinside of the wall I8 and do not come into contact on the top of thewall I8. Thus the hooks 31 and 38 do not stop or limit the downwardmovement of the tire cover I I, I2 and I3 with respect to the fenderwell.

As may be seen from Figure l, the tire cover II, I2 and I3 isproportioned so that, when it is placed in position, it comes intocontact with the 40 periphery of the tire 23 at a point 42 which is somedistance in back of the hole and grommet 32 into which the upper end ofthe back bar or stay 33, 34 ishooked. Thus, when the turnbuckle 35 isturned so as to shorten the back bar 45 33, 34 and to pull down on thegrommet 32, the pressure thus applied will tend to rock the tire coverforward and will holdthe hook portion of the stake 36 at the front ofthe tire cover firmly down in contact with the edge I9 of the front ofthe tire well. At the same time, since the pull exerted by the back bar33, 34 is exerted entirely on one side of the tire cover, as may be seenfrom Figure 2, it will tend to cause the lower portion of the tire coverto swing out away from the fender I4. Such movement will be prevented bythe hooks 31 and 38, but the tendency to move in that direction willhold the hooks 31 and 38 in tight engagement with the inside of theouter side wall I8 of the fender well. Thus, when the tire cover is inplace and the turnbuckle 35 is tightened, the tire cover will be heldfirmly against movement in any direction and will not be the source ofrattles or other noises, and, at

loosening a single fastening device, namely the turnbuckle 35. V V

In order to further prevent rattling, it may be desirable to soproportion the tire cover II, I2 and I3 and the side hooks 31 and 38secured to it, that the distance between the lower end of the inner orback side plate I3 carrying the edging 3I and the plane defined by thehooks 31 and. 38 is slightly greater than the width of the tire well I6,so that,when the tire cover is being 75 put into place, it will benecessary to spring the two sides II and I3 of the tire cover together alittle in order to place the hooks 31 and 3t and the lower edge of theside plate 13 between the two sidewalls I! and i8 of the well.Additional pressure will thus be provided to hold the hooks 31 and 38and the edge of the side plate It in tight contact with the sides of thefender well.

From the above description and the accompanying drawings it can be seenthat I have provided a simple tire cover which greatly enhances theappearance of the car or vehicle upon which it is used and which may bereadily and easily applied or removed. While I have shown my new andnovel tire cover used in combination with one specific form of fenderwell, it may, of course, be used with other fender wells having somewhatsimilar characteristics, and my invention, therefore, is not limited tothe specific form shown and described in this application. My invention,therefore, includes all constructions falling within its true spirit andscope as defined by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. As an article of manufacture, a high crown fender well tire cover,comprising a ring portion adapted to cover a tread portion of a tireprojecting from a well, an outer side plate portion having a lateralarea substantially greater than the lateral area of a projecting tireportion and ring portion with respect to a fender, an inner side plateportion rigid with said ring portion and an adjustable means pivotallyconnected to said inner side plate portion and adapted to be connectedto a fender, the range of adjustment of said adjustable means beingsufiicient to swing ,said tire cover around the limiting means and tireto engage said hooks with a fender.

2. The combination with a fender having a spare tire well, of a metallicspare tire cover including an outer portion for covering the exposedportion-of the outer side wall of the tire and for overlapping the outerside surface of the fender below the mouth of the opening therein, and atread covering portion for covering the exposed portion of the tiretread above the well, said overlapping portion of the cover havingattaching means secured thereto and extending over the fender and intothe well for aligning and holding said side portion on the fender, andadjustable tightening means connected to the cover and the fender at therear thereof for swinging the cover relative to the well to tightlyinterengage said attaching means and said fender.

ARTHUR P. F'ERGUESON.

